Ayrshire Scotland Business News is provided by the Elite Ayrshire Business Circle, an association of some of the top companies in Ayrshire. We publicise our members, and celebrate and report the wealth and rich diversity of entrepreneurial and business excellence that abounds here in Ayrshire, south-west Scotland. For further information e-mail Murdoch@eliteayrshire.com

The Elite Ayrshire Business Circle

Monday, 9 March 2015

Treble for Brian Hughes at Ayr Racecourse

By: Iain Ferguson

LEADING northern based jumps jockey Brian Hughes took the honours at Ayr at the two-day March meeting by riding a treble.

[Pictured: Dale Irving finished alone on Jim Goldie’s course specialist Too Cool To Fool in The Dawn Home’s Cotter’s Edge Monkton Handicap Chase at Ayr Racecourse on Saturday. The 3/1 chance was left on his own three out after his three rivals all fell.]

On Saturday Hughes was at his best as he gave a very positive ride to King Of The Wolds, the 9/4 favourite, to win the Dawn Homes Regatta View Fairlie Handicap Chase for the Hugh Barclay Challenge Trophy.

There were doubles on Saturday for young Scottish riders Lucy Alexander and Dale Irving. Lucy rode Little Glenshee (8/1) to land the Dawn Homes’ Ayrshire’s Favourites Mares Handicap Hurdle and followed that by partnering Benny’s Secret (12/1) to success in the National Hunt Flat Race. Both horses are trained by Lucy’s father Nick.

Dale Irving finished alone on Jim Goldie’s course specialist Too Cool To Fool in The Dawn Home’s Cotter’s Edge Monkton Handicap Chase. The 3/1 chance was left on his own three out after his three rivals all fell.

Dale then steered James Ewart’s Sa Suffit to victory in the Hugh King Sand Handicap Hurdle at odds of 14/1.

There was a popular win on Friday for the Sue Smith trained, Jonathan England ridden Minella Fiveo in the two mile handicap hurdle for the James Barclay Challenge Trophy. The 9/4 favourite slaughtered his field to win by six lengths much to the delight of Sue’s husband Harvey Smith who was representing the yard.

Presenting Junior (12/1) won the two and a half mile handicap chase on Friday for trainer Martin Todhunter and jockey Wilson Renwick and could now be aimed for the Coral Scottish Grand National in April.

Saturday winner Sir Vinski (2/1 joint favourite) could also be in action at the Coral meeting after impressing connections by landing the two and a half mile handicap hurdle. Trainer Nicky Richards thinks there could be a race for the horse at April’s big fixture.

All roads now lead to the Coral Scottish Grand National Festival, Ayr’s on Friday 17 April and Saturday 18 April. For more information go online at www.ayr-racceourse.co.uk or call 01292 264179.

For further information please contact Iain Ferguson on 01292 294972 or 07795 565691.

Ayr Racecourse and the associated Western House Hotel are Founder Members of the Elite Ayrshire Business Circle.

THE EDITORThe Editor of Ayrshire Scotland Business News is Murdoch MacDonald, a graduate of Magdalene College, Cambridge University, where his journalistic contemporaries included John Simpson, now World Affairs Editor with the BBC, and Alan Rusbridger, Editor of the Guardian. Murdoch MacDonald has been in the public relations industry and a freelance journalist and broadcaster for more than 35 years.He has handled the PR accounts of many top Scottish companies, including Royal Bank of Scotland, Standard Life, John Menzies, Kwik-Fit and Barratt Homes.

He has hosted his own family finance programmes - "£s, Pence and Sense" on Radio Forth and "Moneywise" on Scottish Television.He now runs Ayrshire’s top PR consultancy Fame Publicity Services.

Wherever you are in the world, no other public relations consultancy, PR firm or publicity company can offer you a better or more cost-effective worldwide news distribution service, combined with search engine optimisation techniques that will drive customers and qualified sales leads to your company's website.

Murdoch MacDonald is also managing director of the Elite Ayrshire Business Circle, an association of some of the top companies in Ayrshire.Telephone: 01292 281498E-mail: Murdoch@eliteayrshire.com

Murdoch and his wife Lilian (pictured above) have written a book called "Phoenix in a Bottle", describing how they overcame alcoholism and are now, contrary to conventional wisdom, able to drink alcohol responsibly again. "Phoenix in a Bottle" is published by Melrose Books price £16.99 and is now available worldwide.Reviewing the book, eminent American addiction expert Dr Stanton Peele PhD commented:

“Phoenix in a Bottle is a modern version of The Days of Wine and Roses, and tells the true story of how two people who entered a period of desperate drinking stayed with one another in a close loving relationship, and emerged from their alcoholism able to drink responsibly again.

“Both a wonderful love story and a challenge to conventional wisdom about how people can recover from drinking problems, Phoenix in a Bottle gives people hope, and helps them to confront their own demons - alcohol or otherwise.”

And now "Phoenix in a Bottle" has been selected as a set text by a top American university.

“Phoenix in a Bottle” by Lilian and Murdoch MacDonald will now be required reading for all doctoral students in a psychology programme at Alliant International University in San Diego, California.

Alliant International University, headquartered in San Diego and San Francisco, California, was formed in 2001 by the merger of the California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) and the United States International University. Alliant has 6 campuses throughout California and also runs programmes in Mexico City, Hong Kong and Tokyo. The California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant is one of the premier psychology schools in the US, and it counts roughly half the licensed clinical psychologists in California as its alumni.

Dr. Gary W. Lawson is Professor of Psychology at CSPP. He says: “I adopted Phoenix in a Bottle because the dilemma this couple struggled with and the questions they ask themselves are like so many others I have encountered in 35 years of clinical experience treating addictions.“However, nowhere in addiction literature have I seen these issues examined and explained as well as Lilian and Murdoch do in Phoenix in a Bottle.“I also recommend Phoenix in a Bottle to many of my patients as well.”

You can buy "Phoenix in a Bottle" by Lilian and Murdoch MacDonald online now direct from Amazon UK (click on book cover image below).